Laurits Christian Meulengracht, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death
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Date of Birth: 
Place of Birth: Aarhus, Central Denmark Region, Denmark
About Laurits Christian Meulengracht
- Laurits Christian Meulengracht or Laurits Christopher Meulengracht (14 February 1837 - 9 April 1903) was a Danish businessman and brewer who became one of the wealthiest men in Denmark in the 19th century.
- He received the Order of the Dannebrog and Knight of the Dannebrog.His father Lars Christian Meulengracht died 6 months before he was born so he grew up in his grandfather Harboe Meulengracht's house.
- 15 years old he started an internship in the store of Malthe Conrad Lottrup, a local businessman who among other things owned a sizable brewery.
- In 1858 he was sent to Copenhagen to study trade further and in 1862 he started a successful business in London.
- However, by 1870 his former mentor Malthe Conrad Lottrup had fallen ill and called Meulengracht home to take over management of Lottrup's Ceres Brewery.Meulengracht took over the brewery and managed it through a lifetime.
- Initially he rationalized and bought new technology in the form of a steam engine.
- In the years 1872-88 a large expansion program was undertaken that eventually made Ceres the largest brewery in Jutland and Meulengracht one of the wealthiest people in Aarhus.
- Tax records show he paid more in taxes than even contemporary Otto Mønsted and Hans Broge.
- Meulengracht eventually moved into a new home on the Ceres-complex which eventually became a social focal point for the local upper class.
- As an employer he was known for his ability to make opposing groups work together and privately Meulengracht was active in charity and advocacy work.
- In 1876 he was elected to the city council and held his seat for 14 years, working in numerous committees particularly on public works and infrastructure.
- Meulengracht was also one of the forces behind the establishment Aarhus Theatre and he sat on the first board after it was opened.Laurits Meulengracht died 9 April 1903, after lengthy illness and during a healing trip to Monte Carlo.
- He was buried on Nordre Cemetery in Aarhus.
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